It was ten years ago, on the 26th of August, that the Norwegian freighter Tampa responded to a May Day call and rescued over 400 asylum seekers as their boat was sinking off the coast of Australia.
The Tampa incident was the start of a new cycle of repression for asylum seekers that had started in 1992 with the introduction of mandatory detention. After 2001, new detention centres were built in the Australian desert, poorer Pacific countries were funded to built offshore detention centres, culminating in the recent initiative of ‘people trading’ with Malaysia. Both the Liberal and Labour parties have been united in this scapegoating and repression of asylum seekers. Their aim is to frighten already desperate people into choosing an alternative destination.
Activists are continuing to organise solidarity rallies:
Perth: Saturday 27 August 2011
Rally: 2pm Perth Immigration Detention Centre, Perth Domestic Airport, Cnr Baker & McComb Sts
(Transport available from East Perth Transport centre, near the footbridge, at 1.30pm)
Canberra: Saturday 3 September 2011
Rally – 1:00pm – 2:00pm at the Petrie Plaza, Civic (in front of the merry-go-round)
The fight for refugee rights continues.
It was ten years ago, on the 26th of August, that the Norwegian freighter Tampa responded to a May Day call and rescued over 400 asylum seekers as their boat was sinking off the coast of Australia.
The Tampa incident was the start of a new cycle of repression for asylum seekers that had started in 1992 with the introduction of mandatory detention. After 2001, new detention centres were built in the Australian desert, poorer Pacific countries were funded to built offshore detention centres, culminating in the recent initiative of ‘people trading’ with Malaysia. Both the Liberal and Labour parties have been united in this scapegoating and repression of asylum seekers. Their aim is to frighten already desperate people into choosing an alternative destination.
Activists are continuing to organise solidarity rallies:
Perth: Saturday 27 August 2011
Rally: 2pm Perth Immigration Detention Centre, Perth Domestic Airport, Cnr Baker & McComb Sts
(Transport available from East Perth Transport centre, near the footbridge, at 1.30pm)
Canberra: Saturday 3 September 2011
Rally – 1:00pm – 2:00pm at the Petrie Plaza, Civic (in front of the merry-go-round)
